Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: “Perhaps I’m Better at Seduction Than You Are.”

 

The lake water under the stone bridge, which was previously waist-high, had all been pumped out, leaving only deep mud.

 

Dozens of people stood densely packed in the mud, lined up in fixed areas, bent over and searching.

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the people beneath the bridge, her face filled with confusion. She hadn’t had time to pay people to help with the salvage. Could it be that someone else had just dropped something?

 

Obviously, this possibility was almost zero.

 

Jiang Zhi’s gaze swept over the people below, then fixed.

 

Among the dozens of people, one girl, slender and exquisitely graceful, was instantly recognized by Jiang Zhi, even standing in the sludge, even if it was just her back.

 

But after recognizing her, Jiang Zhi subconsciously felt she must have been mistaken.

 

How could it be? The noble and proud young miss, standing in the mud, wearing black waders, covered in mud and water…

 

Her eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses blinked, then squinted, confirming several times.

 

She was not mistaken; it was Lin Anran.

 

Lin Anran’s soft, long curly hair was stained with sludge. Her pale arms and exquisite cheeks were entirely covered in mud, stripped of her princess-like demeanor, looking utterly miserable.

 

Yet, despite her miserable state, she paid no mind to it, focusing solely on searching, even more diligently than the people she had hired.

 

“Miss Lin, is this it?” the bodyguard behind her called out, holding up an item.

 

Lin Anran’s searching halted. She turned back, unable to clearly see the object in the bodyguard’s hand, and quickly jogged toward him in her haste.

 

Because she ran too quickly and the mud was too deep, she stumbled, one foot sinking deeper than the other.

 

The people standing nearby were startled and rushed to help her up, but before they could reach her, the usually delicate Lin Anran didn’t utter a single complaint. She scrambled back to her feet and swiftly ran toward the bodyguard.

 

Taking the retrieved item from the bodyguard, she examined it closely. Since the object was covered in mud, she couldn’t see it clearly, so she rubbed it against herself to clean it.

 

When she could finally see the entire wristband, Lin Anran grinned, excited: “Found it!”

 

She happily bounced up and down in the mud, nearly stumbling again.

 

This scene was clearly visible to Jiang Zhi standing on the bridge.

 

She watched her bend over and search in the mud, watched her stumble while running, watched her pick herself up, watched her eagerly inspect the wristband, and watched her smile brightly and bounce with excitement.

 

Jiang Zhi’s fingers, resting on the stone bridge railing, curled. Her nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.

 

What was Lin Anran doing? Why was she doing all this? After how she had treated her, she was still…

 

So silly.

 

Lin Anran stood in the mud, constantly wiping the wristband in her hand. The surrounding people advised her to come up first, but she paid them no attention, focusing entirely on cleaning the wristband.

 

She wanted to wipe all the mud off the wristband, as if it were a rare treasure.

 

The person who had been meticulously wiping the wristband suddenly seemed to sense something, lifted her head, and looked toward the stone bridge.

 

Her eyes met those of the person standing on the bridge.

 

In that instant, the raging cold wind seemed to pause for a second, and everything fell silent.

 

Jiang Zhi thought that she would probably never forget this scene for the rest of her life.

 

She thought that even if Lin Anran genuinely tired of her one day, she would absolutely never blame her.

 

She thought that if her mentality ever became unbalanced due to her low self-esteem, she would definitely remember this scene. She would forever bury those malicious thoughts, unable to bear harming her.

 

She even wondered why the wristband, which she always wore securely, suddenly broke. Why did it fall right into the lake, and why couldn’t she find it no matter what?

 

Could it be that her grandmother, knowing everything from the afterlife, was using this method to tell her unfilial granddaughter not to miss out on a good person?

 

Regardless, Jiang Zhi no longer wanted to miss this person.

 

She couldn’t bear to let go anymore.

 

After clearly seeing the person on the stone bridge, Lin Anran’s expression subtly paused. After a moment, she stepped through the mud, walking unevenly toward the bridge.

 

Jiang Zhi secretly wiped the tear stains from the corners of her eyes, took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, and smiled as she watched the person approach her step by step.

 

With every step Lin Anran took closer, Jiang Zhi’s heart pounded faster. Her already turbulent emotions became so intense they threatened to become uncontrollable.

 

Until she could no longer hold back, she quickly ran toward her and pulled her into a hug.

 

“The wristband is found…”

 

Her words abruptly cut off because she was suddenly embraced.

 

In Jiang Zhi’s arms, her body was stiff, and she dared not move. Time seemed to slow down, then speed up. Everything around them felt shielded, allowing her to only sense Jiang Zhi’s scent, Jiang Zhi’s warmth, and Jiang Zhi’s not-so-broad but very warm embrace.

 

Lin Anran secretly lifted her head to look, and in that instant, a single tear fell, landing on her cheek.

 

It was scalding hot.

 

Lin Anran froze, quickly pulled out of Jiang Zhi’s embrace, and looked straight at her: “Why are you crying?”

 

Jiang Zhi quickly wiped away the tears: “I’m not. It was just sand blowing into my eyes.”

 

Lin Anran’s lips parted. Jiang Zhi thought she was about to say something comforting, but instead, she said: “Don’t cry. You’re ugly when you cry. It’s hideous, like a monster, especially wearing those ugly glasses.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

 

Too lazy to listen to her curses, she pulled her back into her arms, hugging her tightly, as if holding the most precious existence in the world.

 

Lin Anran let herself be hugged obediently, but was secretly wiping the mud from her hands onto Jiang Zhi’s clothes.

 

The young miss sometimes really knew how to ruin a mood…

 

Jiang Zhi let go of her, her emotions now adjusted, though her eyes were still a little red.

 

“The wristband is found,” Lin Anran said eagerly, holding the item out to her.

 

Lin Anran’s hands were covered in dirt, but she had wiped the wristband spotlessly clean.

 

Jiang Zhi took the wristband from her. Her nose started to sting again, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

 

Lin Anran sensed her emotion but misinterpreted it: “I know you value it highly. The wristband is a bit dirty, but it can be washed clean. Don’t worry, I’ll take it back and find professionals to clean it for you. It will definitely be spotless, without any mud.”

 

Jiang Zhi clenched her hand, the wristband held tightly in her palm. She looked up at the person in front of her.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Zhi said.

 

Lin Anran was surprised, looking at her in confusion.

 

Jiang Zhi: “I was too self-important.”

 

She underestimated Lin Anran’s affection, and she underestimated her own affection, lacking confidence in the emotions of liking and loving.

 

She thought Lin Anran would inevitably get bored, and she thought her love couldn’t withstand her low self-esteem and reality.

 

She worried too much and was too hesitant.

 

But thankfully, her realization wasn’t too late. Lin Anran, the silly cat, hadn’t run away yet; she was still there.

 

Lin Anran was covered in mud and felt uncomfortable all over. She had someone immediately book a nearby hotel and deliver a change of clothes. She rushed in to shower right away.

 

Jiang Zhi sat on the sofa outside, waiting for her to come out.

 

Because the hotel was booked last-minute and was only meant for a quick shower and change of clothes, they hadn’t bothered with the room type.

 

It was a large-bed room, and judging by the colorful decorations and the reddish lighting, it looked a bit like a couple’s themed room.

 

Perhaps it shouldn’t be described as “a bit like,” but rather it was.

 

But at least, even though it was a couple’s themed room, the shower stall wasn’t transparent.

 

The frosted glass sliding door prevented a clear view inside, showing only a blurry silhouette.

 

Sometimes, not seeing clearly was more evocative than seeing clearly.

 

Listening to the sound of water in the shower stall and seeing the hazy silhouette inside, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but feel her mind wander.

 

Jiang Zhi righteously looked away from the frosted door, but clearly, her righteousness was a pretense; although she wasn’t looking, her mind was certainly busy…

 

She recalled a time when Lin Anran’s bath towel accidentally fell off, a moment of beautiful vulnerability.

 

She used to be reluctant to recall such things, but now, perhaps with her internal concerns lifted, the memories surfaced uncontrollably.

 

Biting her lip, she took a deep breath and secretly turned her head to look at the frosted door.

 

The hazy silhouette, judging by the movement, seemed to be applying body wash around her chest area.

 

Jiang Zhi’s face flushed. She cleared her throat and looked away.

 

She touched her hot cheeks and fanned herself with her hand.

 

She picked up the air conditioning remote control and lowered the temperature by a few degrees.

 

All the effort was useless. She couldn’t stop herself from wanting to look toward the shower stall.

 

Lin Anran had accused her of being a peeping tom. Now, it was about to come true.

 

She took out her phone, opened a short video app, and scrolled randomly, trying to divert her attention.

 

Her phone seemed to have mind-reading abilities; the very first short video she saw was:

 

“How to flirt with someone you’re attracted to when you’re alone in a room…”

 

Jiang Zhi fumbled, quickly lowering the volume.

 

She glanced at the shower stall. Thankfully, the sound of the water was loud, so Lin Anran probably couldn’t hear it.

 

“Whoosh”

 

The sliding door of the shower stall opened a small crack.

 

A wet little head peeked out from inside.

 

Jiang Zhi looked at her, and she looked at Jiang Zhi. They stared at each other.

 

“Hand me a new towel,” she commanded.

 

After giving the order, she seemed to remember something and quickly explained: “My towel accidentally fell on the floor just now. It’s dirty. I don’t want to use it.”

 

She was so repulsed by a towel falling on the floor that she didn’t want to use it, yet today, she had searched in the deep mud for so long just to find the wristband.

 

Jiang Zhi felt complicated and touched at the same time.

 

Seeing Jiang Zhi hesitate and not speak, Lin Anran pouted with grievance: “My towel really fell. I’m not trying to… anyway, I’m not. I know you don’t like me doing that. I won’t do it again. Just hand me a new towel.”

 

Jiang Zhi snapped back to reality. Her heart softened, seeing her wronged expression: “I know. Wait a moment, I’ll get you one.”

 

She found the spare hotel towel in the closet, walked over, and handed it to her.

 

Lin Anran’s wet little hand reached out, grabbed the towel, and quickly retracted. The sliding door closed with a click.

 

She could tell that the towel had genuinely fallen this time; there were no ulterior motives.

 

What a shame. Jiang Zhi was actually a little disappointed that she didn’t have other intentions.

 

She chuckled softly to herself.

 

Ten minutes later, Lin Anran emerged from the shower stall. Unlike before, when she intentionally dressed sexily and revealingly, this time she was wrapped up tightly, not even her neck showing. She was practically covered up to her face.

 

She stood at the bathroom door, looking down and sniffing herself left and right.

 

Jiang Zhi: “What are you sniffing?”

 

Lin Anran was annoyed: “I can’t wash it off. I smell like mud. It stinks.”

 

Jiang Zhi walked toward her, stopping right in front of her.

 

Lin Anran looked up blankly, and then saw Jiang Zhi suddenly lean in, right next to her ear, and gently sniff.

 

Lin Anran’s body stiffened. Listening to the quiet sniffing sound by her ear, she felt her heart skip a beat.

 

“Is there a mud smell? No, I don’t smell anything.”

 

The corners of Jiang Zhi’s lips curled up slightly as she spoke deliberately close to her ear.

 

If Lin Anran wasn’t willing to lead her on, then Jiang Zhi could take the initiative. When it came to seduction, she might even be more proficient than Lin Anran.